1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a door chime assembly, and more particularly to a one-piece door chime assembly having one or more resonance chambers with portions which are foldable to provide such chambers.
2. Background and Objects of the Invention
Door chimes are well known in the art and typically include a chime base holding one or more tone bars and a striking means to strike the tone bars, which vibrate with a predetermined tone. Conventional chime bases also include one or more sound or resonance chambers which amplify the tone bar vibration. Conventional door chime bases, particularly the sound or resonance chambers, are typically made of several component parts, which require handling and assembly. Even for chime bases made by injection molding, a separate piece is necessary to enclose each sound chamber. These extra pieces add to the amount of handling required to assemble each door chime.
In addition to the problem of increased handling, a further problem of conventional door chimes is that the tone bars become misaligned or loose when shipped or mishandled. Conventional solutions to this problem have included tightening the tone bars with rubber bands as well as using cardboard inserts to wedge the bars in place during transit which bands or inserts must be removed before the chime assembly is placed in operation. Although ostensibly solving the problem, these solutions further increase the amount of handling required and require actions on the part of the purchaser to remove the retaining devices.
One object of the invention is to reduce the number of component parts required to assemble a door chime, particularly by reducing the number of component parts in the door chime base.
Another object of the invention is to reduce the amount of handling required by molding the entire chime base from a single piece of material, the parts of which may be easily folded to provide the resonance chambers.
A further object of the invention is to facilitate the shipping of door chimes, particularly the securing of the tone bars, by eliminating the special packaging requirements necessary to secure conventional tone bars in place during transit.